Computing-scale.



Patenfed Aug. 7, |900..

T. A. KILLMAN.

COMPUTING SCALE.

(Application med may 17, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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Patented Aug. 7, |909. T. A. KILLMAN.

COMPUTING SCALE.

(Application filed May 17, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I (No Model.)

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Nu.'655,629. Patented Aug. 7, |900. T. A. KILLMAN.l

COMPUTING SCALE.

(Application filed May 17, .1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES THOMAS A. Tunisian, on LIBERTY, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-HALE ALVIN E. POTTER, OESAME PLACE.

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SPECIFICATION form-ing part of Letters Patent' No. 655,629, dated August Appnmnm and May 17, Aleon.

T ir/ZZ whom it may curl/verle:

Beit known that 1, THOMAS A.. KILLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Liberty, in the county of De Kalb and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful COmputing-SOale, of which the following is a specification. g The invention relates to improvements in computing-Scales intended for use by storero keepers and Others for the purpose of auto matically figuring and indicating the cost of goods at different rates per pound.

An object of the present invention is the provision of such an apparatus which will pos- Sess the advantage of simplicity and cheapness in construction as compared with prior structures of its class and which at the same time is reliable and certain in Operation.

A further object of the invention is to prozo vide an improved construction in which is employed a dial that will not be subjected to jarring or vibration produced by the use of the scale, and, furthermore, to house and protect the Working parts of the scale and the computing mechanism thereof from accumulations of dirt and from insects.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the construction and novelcombination and arrangement of parts hereinafter 3o fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the same in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of anl ordinary platform weighing-scale embodying a 4o computing mechanism constructed in accordancewiththisinvention. Fig.2isanenlarged vertical sectional view illustrating the computing mechanism in detail. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig.

et is a vertical sectional View on line at a of Fig. 2. Fig. 5'is a detail horizontal sectional View taken on theline 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. t) is an enlarged detail View illustrating the construction ot' the indicating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a 5o detail perspective view ofthe swinging frame.

PATENT' EETCE.

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The same numerals of reference are used to indicate like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

VThe scale-beam 10, which is peculiarly constructed for the accommodation of the computting mechanism of my invention, is hung on an upright'or other support 11, the latter being carried by the frame 12. rlhis frame also supports the usual scale mechanism for the platform 13, and this platform scale mechanism is connected with the scale beam through the intermediate connections`V 14. These parts are or may be of the usualiconstruction and they need not be further described in this specification. The scale-beam 10 comprises, essentially, a housing or casing 15, a weight-bar 1G, a rate-bar 17, and a tarebar 1S, all of which are united or joined firmly together, so as to maintain the three bars in parallel relation. I prefer to arrange the rate` bar 17 at the upper part of the scale-beam and the tare-bar between and equidistant from the weight-bai' and the :atebar, and this beam is fu rtherm ore'provided with the usual weightrod 19. The weight-bar 16 is graduated in the ordinary way to indicate the weight of the goods in pounds and ounces and on it is slidably litted a poise 20. The rate-bar 17 has but at the same time is free to have an endwise traveling or slidable movement with the counterpoise 20 longitudinally of the weightbar. This end is attained by making the chamber of the weight-bar and the nut squareV or angular in 'cross-section, so as to enable the nut to move freely lengthwise ofthe chamber, and by uniting the nut to the counterone or both faces thereof graduated with igprevented from turning or rotating therein,

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poise 2O through the medium of a fastener 2G. This fastener is shown by Figs. 2 and 4 in the form of; a screw passing through the poise 2O and into the nut 25, said fastener being adapted to travel in the slot 2t of the weight-bar. A revoluble screw-spindle 27 is arranged in the chamber of the weight-bar, and said spindle has its end portions loosely journaled in suitable bearings provided in said bar for the purpose ot` mounting the spindle so it may be rotated with ease and freedom by the traveling motion of the nut with the poise. This screw-spindle passes through and has threaded engagement with the nut 25, so that it will be actuated by the nut, and one end of this spindle is projected into the chamber formed by the casing or housing 15, said projecting end of the spindle receiving a crown-gear 28, which is made lfast therewith, so as to rotate with the spindle at all times.

29 designates a swinging frame which is disposed within the chamber formed by the casing or housing 15, so as to lie at an angle to the screw-spindle within the weight-bar. At the lower end of the swinging frame it is formed with a footpiece 30, the latter having the laterally-extending studs or pins .31,which are loosely iitted in the sides of the casing or housing 15 in coaxial relation to the fulcrnm of the scale-beam in the upright or support 11. This frame is pivotally mounted in the housing at a point adjacent to the cr'ownwheel on the screw-spindle 27 for the purpose of permitting the irame to swing to different positions and angles relative to the axis of the spindle 27 without throwing a secondary spindle 37 on the frame out of gear with the poise-actuated spindle 27. The upper part ofthe swinging frame is provided with aheadpiece 32, which is parallel to the footpieee, said head and foot pieces forming the journal-bearings for the screw-spindle 37, which is arranged longitudinally of the pivotal supporting-frame 29. A secondary traveling nut has threaded engagement with the screwspindle 37, which is movable with the swinging frame, and this t-raveling nut is confined in slidable relation to the swinging frame, preferably by fitting one of the faces of the nut against the Iiat side ofthe frame, whereby the nut is confined against rotation, but is free to travel longitudinally with respect to the frame and the spindle 37. A bevel gearwheel 34- is made fast to the lower end of the spindle 37, and this gearwheel is arranged in such relation to the support of the swinging trame that it will mesh at all times with the crown-gear 2S on the poise-actuated spindle 27, whereby rotation of the spindle 27 under the action of the poise and the nut connected therewith rotates the screw-spindle 37 through the medium of the intermeshing gears 2S and $34 notwithstanding variations in the angular position of the swinging' frame to the plane of the longitudinal axis of the poiseactuated spindle. The movable nut 33 ofthe screw-spindle 37, which is movable with the swinging frame, is provided with a rack-actuating stud or pin 35, said stud or pin having a slidable relation to an element of the rack to permit the nut to travel freely, as will presently appear.

The tare-bar 18 is provided with longitudinal guideways 3G and 36, in which are slidably litted endwise-movable rack-bars 38 and 38, which are free to move longitudinally in the tare-bar. One end of the rackbar 3S is extended into the chamber or housing 15, and to this rack-bar 3S is firmly secured a cross-head 39, t-he latter being disposed in the housing to move freely therein back and forth with the rack-bar. This crosshcad is arranged at right angles to the rackbar 3S, and the cross-head and the rack-bar are guided by the tare-bar to move in a rectilinear' path. The extended end of the rackbar 3S engages with an element or pinion GO of an indicator mechanism which is carried by the housing l5 and which may be of any suitable construction. I prefer to employ the indicator mechanism of the type shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 6, in which a dial is secured firmly to a side of the housing and is adapted to be traversed by one or more pointers driven from a train of gears, as hereinafter explained. This rack is actuated by conncctions between its cross-head and the secondary nut 33, which is propelled by rotation of the screw-spindle 37, driven through intermediate gear connections with the poiseactuated spindle 27, and in the embodiment of the invention herein represented the crosshead 39 is provided with a longitudinal slot 40, adapted to receive the pin or stud 35,which is movable with the traveling nut 33, whereby a loose connection or compensating joint is provided between the traveling' nut and the rack-bar 3S.

The guideways 36 and 3G of the tare-bar are separated by an intervening partition 36, which is provided between its ends with an opening 236C, in which is mounted a pinion 38h, which meshes with the teeth of the rack-bars 3S and 38, whereby the rack-bars are moved simultaneously in opposite directions. The rack-bar 3S, which is located in the lower guideway 3G of the tare-bar, is provided at its upper edge with teeth which mesh with the pinion 381 and with the said pinion or element GO of the indicating mechanism. The upper rack-bar 38 ofthe tare-bar is provided at its lower edge with teeth to inesh with the pinion 38h, and it is adapted to eounterbalance or neutralize the el'tect ot' the rack-bar 38 and its cross-head 39.

The rate-bar 17 ot' the scale-beam is provided with longitudinal guideways 43 and 41 in its upper and lower portions, said guideways being separated by an intervening partition 3ft A rack-bar 45 is littcd slidablyin the guideway 43, and another rack-bar 16 is iitted in a like manner within the guideway -t-t ot the rate-bar. An idle spindle 4:7 is

i loosely mounted in the rate-bar between the ICO IIO

opposing gear-formed edges of the two rackbars, and on this spindle is a spur gear or pinion 48, which meshes with the teeth of the two rack-bars, whereby the latter are adapted to travel in opposite directions simultaneously similar to the rack-bars 38 and 38a. One of the rack-bars of the rate-bar, preferably the lower bar 46, is connected with the poise 2l of the rate-bar by the fastening 49, which is adapted to travel in the slot on the under side of the rate-bar. It is evident that an adjustment of the poise 2,1 on the rate-bar moves the rack-bar 46 therewith, and the sliding movement of this rack-bar 46 is communicated by the intermediate idle gear tothe other rack-bar45 for the purpose of moving Ithe latter simultaneously with and in an opposite direction to the said poise-actuated bar 46. The driven rack-bar 45 is extended into the chamber of the housing or casing, and its extremity is provided with an angular arm 50,' which depends from the rack-bar alongside of the headpiece 32 of the swinging frame. This angular arm 2l is provided with a longitudinal slot 5l, in which is loosely vfitteda pin or stud 52, which is fast with the headpiece of the swinging frame, whereby the driven rack-bar is operatively and slidably connected with the swinging frame for the purpose of adjusting the latter to different positions on the movement of the poise 21 on the rate-bar of the scale-beam. Although I have shown and described the rack and gear connections between the swinging frame and the poise of the rate-bar, I do not desire to be confined strictly to the use of this specific connection. There is a point of advantage, however, attending the use of the oppositelymovable rack-bars connected by the intermediate gear and having one member slidably connected to the swinging frame to which I desire to call attention. Said advant-age consists in having these parts arranged to counterbalance the gravity of the poise 2l on the rate-bar, so that the latter will have no effect on the scale-beam in ascertaining the weight of the goods. In adjusting the poise 2l on the ratesbar to indicate the price per pound, it will be noticed that movement of the poise to the right carries the rack-bar 46, while the intermediate gear will at the same time propel the rack-bar 45 and the arm 50 thereof to the left, this movement of the rack-bar 45 serving to correspondingly adjust the upper end portions of the swinging frame and the threaded spindle thereon. It will thus be evident that the weight of the parts moving to the left at the same time that the poise is shifted to the right will have the effectA of counter-balancing each other, and thus the weight of the parts can be so proportioned and distributed that the adjustment of the poise will not affect the movement oi' the scale-beam. The arm 50 causes the movement of the swinging frame to be in exact proportion to the movement of the poise 2l, or, in other words, the center of gravity of the swinging frame and the parts supported by the same will move to the left as thepoise moves to the right, so that the poise may be properly weighted to counterbalance the swinging frame and its parts, the excess of the weight of the poise and the rack-bar 46 over the weight of the rack-bar45 and the arm 50 varying with the distance of the center of gravity of the swinging frame and its parts from the pivot thereof. to the left will correspondingly actuatc the rack-bar 46, which in turn will move the rackbar 45 to the right, and thus the slotted arm 50 will draw the swinging frame and its parts from their inclined positions to positions more nearly at right angles to the poise-actuated spindle and in the plane of the scale-beam fulcrum.

It will be understood that the described connections between the poise 2l on the rate-bar and the swinging frame operate to move the upper part of the frame and the threaded spindle 37 thereon to any desired position within certain limits, and this adjustment of the frame and the spindle is attained without throwing the spindle 37 out of gear with the p0ise-actuated spindle 27. threads on the two spindles 27 and 37 and the size of the crown-gear and the bevel-gear are so proportioned to each other that a movement of -the poise-spindle throughout the whole length of the weight-bar will cause the secondary n ut 33 to travel the full length of the spindle 37. Now it is obvious that the distance through which the indicator-actuating rack- -barwillniove,or the amountwhichis indicated on the dial by a movementof the weight-poise 2O at the point required to balance the scale in the operation of weighing an article, will depend on the angle of the screw-spindle 37, and the angle of the spindle depends upon the position that the poise 2l occupies on thel rate-bar of the scale-beam. The operator slides the poise 2l to the proper graduation on the rate-bar 17 of the scale-beam, thereby adjusting the swinging frame and the screwspindle 37 at the proper angles, and then the article to be weighed is placed on the platform. The operator now adjusts the poise 2O on the weight-bar I6 until the scale is balanced, and

if the goods weigh fifteen pounds the intergeared screw-spindles 27 and 37 will act-nate the traveling nut and the slotted cross-head 39 to move the indicator-operating rack-bar 38 a distance sufficient to move the pointer or pointers of the indicator to point to the cost of the article-naniely, one dollar and fty cents, ($1.50.)

The pointers operate similar to the hands of a Watch or clock-that is, when the large hand 6l makes one complete revolution the small hand 62 will be moved over one interval of space or one graduation of the inner circle 63 of the dial 64, and a second revolutio'n of the large hand over an outer circle of graduations 65 will carry the small hand lto the second graduation of the inner circle.

Of course the movement of the poise i The pitch of the IOO IIO

4 estese The small hand indicates the number of revolutionsof thelarge hand, and it will be apparent that if the outer series of graduations indicate one hundred cents the hands will indicate the price of an article in dollars and cents.

rJChe pinion GO, which is located above and which meshes with the rack-bar 38, is mounted on the inner end of a horizontal shaft G6, which carries the large hand (il, and the said shaft 6G also has fixed to it a pinion G7, which meshes with a gear-wheel 68 of a countershaft 69. The gear-wheel 0S is rigid with the pinion 70, which meshes withv a gear-Wheel 7l, and the latter carries a sleeve 72, on which the small hand is mounted. The large hand is rotated directly by the rotation of the shaft (56, and the small hand is connected with the said shaft (36 by a train of gears, and this train of gears instead ot' being proportioned to cause the small hand to travel one-twelfth as fast as the large hand may be constructed so that the small hand will travel at a greater or less rate of speed to adapt the indicating mechanism to the character of the scale to whichit is to be applied.

It Will be observed that the scale-beam has its parts constructed to house the operating parts ot' the indicator-actuating mechanism for the purpose of protecting the elements from accumulations of dust. lt is also evident that the dial of the indicator mechanism is stationary on or iiat with the scale-beam, so that the dial will not be jarred or influenced by the vibration of the scale-platform by depositing the articles to be weighed suddenly thereon.

Changes Within the scope of the appended claims may be made in the `form and proportion of some of the parts, While their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary the same.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, and an indicator carried thereby, of a Weight-poise, indicator-actuating mechanism operable by said poise, a ratepoise, and mechanism actuated by the ratepoise for counterbalancing the latter and for adjusting an element of the indicator-actuating mechanism previous to operation of said indicator-actuating mechanism by the movement of the Weight-poise, substantially as described.

2. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, and an indicator having a stationary dial and carried by said beam, ot' a Weight-poise, an indicator-actuating mechanism includinga shiftable spindle and a reciprocating bar and a device actuated by the spindle and engaging the reciprocating bar, said mechanism being operatively connected vwith the weight-poise, a rate-poise, and means actuated by the rate-poise iifor counterbalancing the latter and for adj usting said spindle of the indicator mechanism preliminary to adjustment of the weight-poise, substantially as described.

3. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism thereon, and a Weight-poise, of a poise-actuated spindle, a shiftable frame, a screw-spindle carried by said frame and intergeared to the poise-actuated spindle, and a reciprocating element operatively connected with the shift-able spindle and the indicator mechanism, substantially as described.

el.. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism thereon, and a weight-poise, of a shiftable spindle supported pivotally in coaxial relation to the fulcrum of the scale-beam, means actuated by the poise for rotating said spindle, an indicator-actuator, and connections between the shiftable spindle and the indicator-actuator, substantially as described.

5. ln a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism, and a Weight-poise, of a shiftable frame supported pivotally in coaxial relation to the scale-beam, a screw-spindle journaled on said frame, a poise-actuated spindle intergeared with the shiltable spindle, means forshifting the frame and the spindle thereon, relative to the poise-actuated spindle, and an indicator-actuator connected operatively with the shiftable spindle, substantially as described.

6. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism, and a eight-poise, of a pivoted shiftable frame, a revoluble spindle carried thereby, a reciprocating indicator-actuator connected with the indicator and provided with a crosshead, a traveling nut slidably confined on the shiftable frame and having a geared connection with the shiftable spindle, and a slidable connection With the cross-head of said indicator-actuator, and means for changing the position ofthe frame and the spindle preliminary to the adjustment of the Weight-poise, substantially as described.

7. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism thereon, and a Weight-poise, of an indicatoractuating mechanism operable by said weightpoise, a rate-poise, and connections between the rate-poise and the indicator mechanism, said connections being shiftable automatically, substantially as and for the purpose described.

S. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism, and a weight-poise, of an indicator-actuating mechanism operable by the Weight-poise and including a shiftable element, a rate-poise, and oppositely-movable elements intergeared together for simultaneous movement, one of said elements being connected With the ratepoise and the other element connected With the shiftable element of the indicator-actuating mechanism, substantially as described.

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9. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam, an indicator mechanism, and aWeight-poise, of an indicator-actuating mechanism operable bythe Weight-poise and having a shiftable element, a rate-poise, the oppositely-movable racks, one of which is fast with the rate-poise, an idle gear intermeshing with both racks, and an arm fast With the other rack and connected siidably with the shiftable element of the indicatoractuating mechanism, substantially as describedl 10. In a computing-scale, the combination with a scale-beam having a slotted Weightbar, an indicator mechanism, and a Weightpoise, of a revoluble screw-spindle jonrnaled in said weight-bar, a traveling nut iitted to said spindle and fast vvith the Weight-poise, a shiftable frame, a screw-spindle journaled in said frame and geared to the poise-aetnated spindle, a cross-head, a traveling nut engaging with the shiftable spindle and connected slidably With the cross-head and means for connecting the cross-head with the indicator mechanism, substantially as described.

11. In a computing-scale, the combination With a scale-beam having its bar I8 provided with a guideway, an indicator mechanism, and a Weight-poise, of a rack-bar confined in said guidevvay and geared to the indicator mechanism, a slotted cross -head fast with said rack-bar, a shiftable frame, a spindle THOMAS A. KILLIWIAN.

Witnesses:

B. EDMoNDs, T; M. BRIGHT. 

